Cypress and olive groves running down to the sea, a UNESCO Venetian old town, and resorts that range from a genuinely lovely bay to the loudest strip in Greece. Choosing correctly matters more here than on most islands.
They are ninety minutes apart and could not be more different.
Kavos in the far south is a young party resort — cheap, loud, and open until dawn. Paleokastritsa on the north-west coast is a series of green coves under cliffs, and one of the prettiest places in the Ionian. Between them sit family resorts like Sidari and Acharavi, and the Venetian old town of Corfu Town, which is properly beautiful and worth two days on its own. Book by resort name, never just by island — this is where Corfu bookings go wrong.
An old town, green cliffs, and a coastline more varied than most Greek islands.
UNESCO-listed, Venetian, with two fortresses and a cricket pitch. The best old town in the Ionian, and lovely at dusk.
Six coves under wooded cliffs, with a monastery above. Boat trips to the sea caves from the beach.
Built for Empress Elisabeth of Austria, later used by Kaiser Wilhelm. Gardens with a view over the whole east coast.
Sandstone formations and swim-through channels at Sidari. Go early — it's small and it fills.
Nine hundred metres, and on a clear day you see Albania and Italy. Drive up, or walk from Old Perithia.
Olive groves, hill villages and Old Perithia, an abandoned Venetian village being slowly restored.
The island splits north, east, west and south, and they suit very different people.
The old town, Dassia and Ipsos. Close to the airport, best restaurants, pebbly beaches.
Paleokastritsa and Agios Georgios. Green cliffs and coves. The most scenic half of the island.
Sidari, Roda and Acharavi. Sandy, shallow, good value, and popular with British families.
Kavos is the party resort. Agios Georgios South and Issos nearby are almost empty by contrast.
May to October, with June and September the sweet spots.
July and August reach 32°C and the resorts fill with British and Italian families. May, June, September and early October give you 24–28°C, warm sea from June, and noticeably lower prices. Corfu is wetter than the Aegean islands, so April and late October carry a real chance of rain — lovely for walking, less certain for a beach week.
3h 15m to Corfu (CFU), widely served from UK regional airports between April and October.
20 minutes to the east coast, up to 90 minutes to Kavos or the far north-west.
Euro. Cards widely accepted; smaller tavernas and beach bars prefer cash.
Worth it for a few days. The interior and the north-west coves are the best of the island and hard to reach otherwise.
We'll match the resort to your party — and steer you away from the wrong end of the island. Payment plan written out in full.
Sidari, Roda or Acharavi on the north coast — sandy, shallow and set up for children. Dassia on the east is closer to the airport.
It's a young party resort and very good at being one. It's simply not what most families or couples want, and it's booked by accident more than anywhere else in Greece.
Corfu is greener with a proper old town and more variety. Zante has better beaches and Shipwreck Bay. Corfu suits longer stays.
For two or three days. The north-west coves and the mountain villages are what make Corfu different, and buses don't reach them well.
Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.
Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
10 nights · May–Jun, Sep–Oct · from £1,449pp
11 nights · May–Jun, Sep · from £1,149pp
10 nights · Mar–May, Sep–Nov · from £849pp
11 nights · Apr, Oct · from £2,699pp
12 nights · Jun–Oct, Jan–Feb · from £3,399pp
12 nights · Jul–Oct · from £3,099pp
11 nights · Jun–Oct, Dec–Feb · from £1,799pp
11 nights · Nov–Apr · from £2,199pp
